The firm placed KL at 10th, with Bangkok leading the rankings, followed by Istanbul, London, Hong Kong, Mecca, Antalya, Dubai, Macau, and Paris.

KL also saw the highest growth in international arrivals among the top ten, with a remarkable 73% increase from 2023 to 2024.

Housing and Local Government minister Nga Kor Ming shared the achievement, noting that 17.5 million tourists visited KL this year.

He also highlighted the city’s rank as the 73rd smartest city globally.

“Congratulations to KL for being listed as the top 10 cities in terms of international tourist arrivals.

“More than 17.5 million tourists visited KL this year. Let’s work together to make Malaysia great again,” Nga Kor Ming wrote on his Instagram account on December 11.

According to The Star, Euromonitor’s global head of loyalty, Nadejda Popova stated that global international arrivals surged by 19% in 2024, driven by strong tourism demand.

Europe remained the leading region, with 793 million international trips.

“Bangkok topped the list of international arrivals by city with 32 million trips in 2024 followed by Istanbul (23 million), London (21.7 million), Hong Kong (20.5 million) and Mecca (19.3 million),“ she said.

She mentioned that cities around the world are increasingly utilizing sports and cultural events, alongside infrastructure upgrades and ongoing marketing efforts, to boost tourism revenues.